Masisukume Sakhe is the motto of Kwazulu-Natal and means "Let us stand up and build" while in South Africa, we will be working with many different hospitals to assist with their pediatric care.
Unlike in the United States, the concept of separating children from the general hospital population and recognizing that children have special needs, is a relatively new concept in Kwazulunatal. There is a vacancy rate of 50% among nurses and primary care physicians, 75% among medical specialists and pharmacists. There are 4 pediatric surgeons in Kwazulunatal and 25 neonatologists in all of South Africa. 90% of the population is under the care of the public sector which receives 10% of the government funding. There is a massive shortage of equipment.
3 years ago a study was done at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg wherein there was a concentrated effort to address the needs of children through separation, extra attention, and stimulation. Remarkably as a result of this study the mortality of hospitalized children within a 6 month period of the hospital stay was reduced from 15% to 5%. Our project is geared to building on this success. Government funding cannot be used to meet the special needs of hospitalized children , so a NGO "Thokomala Nathi" which mean "Feel at Home with Us" has been developed towards this end.
Our project will address various tangible needs such as admission packs for the children, discharge packs for parents to take home to sustain the family for several days on return home, playground and other equipment to help stimulate the children, equipment and support for the boarding parents, and promotion of a breast milk feeding program. Our most important contribution for now and for the sustainable future will come through the efforts of our VTT in training and establishing programs and development for the future.
The hospitals we are visiting on our trip are Grey's, Edendale and Northdale.
Grey's Hospital is a referral hospital providing 20 % regional and 80 % tertiary services located in Pietermaritzburg, which falls in the Umgungundlovu health district.The hospital's vision is the provision of optimal tertiary level of health care to the people of the Western area of KwaZulu-Natal, this is supported by the hospitals mission and core values. Grey's hospital offers regional services to the Umgungundlovu district which has an approximate population on 1 million. Tertiary services are offered to the Western half of KwaZulu-Natal - this includes 5 health districts with a total population of 3.5 million. The hospital has 530 commissioned beds and is presently utilizing 494. Grey's hospital was founded in 1855 and celebrated it's 150th birthday in November 2005. The hospital won the Premier's Service Excellence Silver Award in 2004 and the Gold Award in 2005.
- There are 485 total beds, 50 of which are Pediatric beds
- 1,700 impatients per annum, 750 neonatal impatients and 4,500 outpatient
Edendale Hospital was established in 1954, is a regional and district hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, operated by the KZN Department of Health. Edendale is a teaching hospital — a satellite campus for the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine (since 2000). It forms part of the Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Hospital Complex which includes Grey's Hospital. The hospital offers services in Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, and Intensive Care. Rehabilitation services include Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, and Speech therapy.
- There are 900 total beds, 104 of which are Pediatric beds
- 5,000 impatients per annum, 8,500 neonatal impatients and 30,000 outpatient
Northdale Hospital is a district hospital in uMgungundlovu health district. The mission of the hospital is to provide an accessible cost effective, efficient, compassionate, comprehensive, high quality health service to the community, in consultation with all stakeholders, dedicated to health promotion based on a primary health care approach through the district health system.
- There are 385 total beds, 52 of which are Pediatric beds
- 3,500 impatients per annum, 6,000 neonatal impatients and 48,000 outpatient
